‘Crimson Tide’ Sequel in Development, Denzel Washington Could Return

It’s been 30 years since “Crimson Tide” sailed into theaters, scoring with critics and dominating the box office. If Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of the 1995 film, gets his way, there may be more underwater nuclear brinksmanship in moviegoers’ future. The Hollywood mogul revealed that he’s developing a sequel to “Crimson Tide” during an interview this week on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

“We have a really good director and writer talking to the navy right now about what’s going on under the water,” Bruckheimer teased, without naming said filmmakers.

Bruckheimer also suggested that Denzel Washington, who played an idealistic executive officer locked in a heated battle for control of a nuclear submarine against Gene Hackman’s domineering commanding officer, might be convinced to take another trip beneath the waves.

“If we give him a good script, I think he’d do it,” Bruckheimer said.

A source close to Washington confirmed that any participation in “Crimson Tide 2” is script-dependent and there’s no finished screenplay yet.

If he does board the project, Washington will need a new on-screen adversary. Hackman died in February at the age of 95. Tony Scott, the original director of “Crimson Tide,” and Robert Towne, one of its writers, have also died.

“We had Tony Scott, a phenomenal director,” Bruckheimer said. “We had Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne, two of the greatest writers and directors, writing on that movie. … I don’t know if I’ll ever replicate that kind of writing for a film.”

Michael Schiffer was the credited screenwriter on “Crimson Tide,” but the script passed through many typewriters during its protracted development. Washington and Hackman weren’t the only actors considered for the leading roles either. Other stars who circled the project at various points, included Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Tommy Lee Jones and Brad Pitt.

Bruckheimer stopped by “The Rich Eisen Show” to hawk “F1,” a racing drama that united him with Pitt and Joseph Kosinski, the director of “Top Gun: Maverick.” He’s no stranger to a long development process. After all, it took Bruckheimer and Tom Cruise 36 years to make a sequel to “Top Gun.” The hope is that part three, which Bruckheimer is hard at work on, won’t take as long to get into the air.

“I can’t talk about [the story] yet, but it’s a real good one,” Bruckheimer told Eissen.

A spokesperson for Disney, the producer of “Crimson Tide,” did not respond to requests for comment.